"Dynamo Way" isn't trademarked or adorning any T-shirts or coaching manuals, and it probably isn't a phrase often uttered behind closed doors. Like the team it defines, it isn't celebrated or promoted.

But it's very real. For those still wondering whether the unheralded Houston Dynamo routinely march through the MLS Cup playoffs to the rhythm of an ethos that places the mission above the man, consider the unlikely friendship between Brian Ching and Bobby Boswell.

When they first connected in 2007, Ching already was a U.S. national team veteran and a Dynamo icon — a striker and a man well known for his thoughtful reserve. Boswell was a brash D.C. United defender — five years younger, outgoing and drawn to the spotlight.

"I ended up scoring a goal against him once in Houston, and he ended up cheap-shotting me a little bit," Ching said. "Obviously, I wasn't a big fan of his. He tried to shake my hand after the game and I was like, 'Whatever.' I pushed him a little bit."

Five months later, in December, Boswell was traded to the two-time defending champion Dynamo. There easily could have been some tension. But the "Dynamo Way" transcends individuals, even if one of them happened to head-butt the other.

"As soon as he got traded to Houston I called him and said, 'I'm happy I'm not going to get cheap-shotted any more and happy to have you on the team.' Our relationship kind of took off from there," Ching told Sporting News.

It was a move that initially looked like it could be a mismatch for player and club. Instead, Boswell's arrival in Houston proved to be a key turning point for a Dynamo squad set to contest its fourth MLS Cup final in seven years on Saturday afternoon against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. ET at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

It also is a validation for the culture created by Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear, who rewards those players to work for the common good and who asks them to stand out only for the right reasons.

"When I got to Houston, it was a group of veterans. There was something about them," Boswell said. "There was a way they carried themselves, whether you want to call it a winning edge or whatever. It's a hardworking mentality. They're going to go out there, work really hard and let the soccer speak for itself."

Boswell certainly wasn't intimidated by hard work. Fifth gear has been his default setting since he was a student at Florida International University in Miami, where he was a triple-major in management, international business and psychology while staring for the Atlantic Soccer Conference powerhouse.

Undrafted in 2005, he was invited to try out with D.C. United as a free agent. Boswell was in the reigning MLS champ's starting lineup on opening day. A year later, he was an All-Star and won the league's defender of the year award.

"We knew right away he could play. He had a composure that most guys don't have at his age," Ben Olsen said at the time. Now United's head coach, the fiery midfielder said Boswell "might have been a bit young to play that position for D.C., but he relished the opportunity to fill that role."

The bachelor life

Boswell was all about relish. He attacked the long hours away from the field with the same verve with which he played — perhaps more. Blessed with energy, charisma, a mouth he claimed "could talk the tongue off a shoe" and an insatiable thirst to meet and greet and squeeze the most out of every opportunity, Boswell lived large during his three seasons in the nation's capital. He chronicled his adventures on a blog, posting photos and videos of the random and ludicrous and inviting fans into the life and locker room of a pro athlete in a manner he said might have been "ahead of the curve" at that time.

It also rubbed some the wrong way and offered critics extra ammunition.

The "Bobby Bosworth" blog persona comprised only a part of his personality. He was among the most dedicated public servants on the team, routinely visiting hospitals and purchasing tickets for children despite his league-minimum salary. He was United's humanitarian of the year in 2006. But he received far more attention for his turn as one of Cosmopolitan magazine's most eligible bachelors.

"If you make yourself accessible, you're often the first to get criticized," Boswell told Sporting News. "I definitely had fun. I don't really regret the mentality because that's how I was successful. I'd go out, either in the city or on the soccer field, and take chances."

Boswell was benched for a portion of the 2007 campaign and at its conclusion was traded to Houston. United management was convinced the club was on the verge of MLS and CONCACAF glory and sought a veteran upgrade in back. The following season would be the first of four straight in which D.C. would miss the playoffs. Meanwhile, Boswell was welcomed warmly by Ching and worked to get comfortable in his demanding new home.

"It's about a group of guys who care more about the team then themselves. Every one of these guys is willing to make the extra effort for the team," Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall said when asked to explain the club's locker room culture. "You either adapt or you don't really fit in. It's what it is. Everyone does it, so you don't want to come into this team and be the odd man out. You kind of get it and takes ahold of you."

Boswell tried to maintain his website but found it difficult as he worked to adjust to Houston and without his colleagues at United. Then came the wake-up call.

"I did a fan contest or something, and there was a poem from a guy who had a man crush on one of our reserve players," Boswell said. "I brought it into the locker room, and Dom read it in front of the team. And (assistant coach John Spencer) was like, 'What the hell is this you're doing? A website?' It was kind of the old mentality.

"I'd been in D.C. where doing this was fun and it was good, but I realized that maybe this isn't going to work for me here. I still wanted to do a lot of that stuff, but I realized there's a time and place for them and maybe when you're playing isn't the time or place. You've got to focus on staying on the field and sometimes that off-the-field crap can prevent you from being on the field."

Conforming and succeeding

Kinnear plays no favorites. It didn't matter if Boswell was a former defender of the year or if he was in the national team picture. Victory was all that mattered, and Boswell would prove to be a quick study. He is proud, competitive and vocal and would blossom into the anchor of the Dynamo's back four.

Over the past five seasons, Boswell never has started fewer than 26 regular-season games. He has worked with a multitude of partners in central defense — five this year alone — and has thrived thanks to his composure, intelligence and leadership. He's not the most dominant athlete, but he compensates with smarts, efficiency and outstanding organization ability. This season, he set personal records for appearances, starts and minutes, tallied two goals and one assist and was named the Dynamo's defender of the year.

"He's outgoing. He's a people person," said Ching, who admitted that his ability to listen to Boswell's endless stories might be the quality that endears him most to his former nemesis. "He's the kind of guy that everybody looks to, especially now. Whether they have issues on and off the field, he's a guy everybody likes and rallies around.

"He hates to lose and will do anything to help this team win, he's incredibly focused on the field and off the field, people love to be around him. That's what this team is all about. It's producing on the field."

New reality

Boswell, now 29, said he still has the energy of an 18-year-old. He continues to throw himself into his charity work, often heading to a hospital on the same day the Dynamo returns from a road trip. His nightlife now revolves around his 2-year-old son, Kingston, whose presence hasn't tempered Boswell's ambition but has made him "a little less selfish."

Back in the D.C. days, Boswell would talk about moving abroad to play for a big club in Europe or even captaining the U.S. national team to a World Cup triumph. Neither is likely to happen. But there's still plenty to play for.

There are two sides to Boswell the athlete. There's the one who plays for the fun of it, for the camaraderie and for the thrill of competition and the one still fueled by "a bit of a chip" that might stem from the anonymity he endured as a teenager or the fact he's often omitted from conversations about the league's elite defenders.

But he's a Dynamo man now, through and through, which means all of that is secondary. The real prize is on offer at The Home Depot Center on Saturday, where Boswell's experience and organizational acumen will be put to the test by Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and a Galaxy side looking to repeat as MLS champion.

This Dynamo team was built to win titles, and Boswell is a perfect fit for a club eager to retake its own place on the MLS summit. He's standing out for all the right reasons.

"I don't go back and second-guess things. Let's move forward. I enjoy playing for Dom, and I enjoy playing here," he said. "I've won some individual things, and I think there can be nothing better than to win a team trophy. That's the big one."